Wednesday, 23 September 2015

Film practitioners from Nollywood
and Hollywood yesterday in Lagos paid glowing tribute to Dr. Stella
Adadevoh, the staff of First Consultant Hospital and what they described as the
Nigerian spirit in the fight and containment of the dreaded Ebola Virus Disease
(EVD) last year by immortalising their heroic efforts in an emotional film titled
93 Days.

The leading
Hollywood actors in the world press conference to announce the completion of
the film project were legendary Mr. Danny Glover and Mr. Tim Reid while
Nigeria’s Nollywood had Ms Bimbo
Akintola, Mr. Gideon Okeke and Mr. Keppy Ekpeyong-Bassey. Also present were the
producers, Mrs. Bolanle Austin-Peters, Mr. Dotun Olakunri, with producer and
director Mr. Steve Gukas.

For Glover, it was
an emotional reunion with the motherland, and canvassed the need to form stronger
ties between African descendants in the diaspora and the homeland. He also
spoke about Nigeria’s immense potentials to achieve great things.

According to him, “Since
coming here, I have felt so particularly proud. The film is a reminiscence of
the achievement and testimony of positivity of Nigerians. It’s a very special
moment. We come from a generation of African descendants who want to reconnect
with Africa in a big way. It’s part of the much larger legacy of Dr. E.B.
Dubois and many others who wanted a reunion with Africa. It was their
responsibility to tell the true story of us Africans. We will continue with
that and to be able to tell that story. It’s part of the extraordinary
potential that the continent has; it comes out in the spirit that we can do
this”.

Also another
African-American, Reid sued for the need to continue to connect with Africa so
as “to create a new machine of storytelling. I’m proud to be here. The whole
world is watching what is happening in Nigeria, its film industry. In a few
years the world will be shocked by the machines of storytelling that is here”.

For Austin-Peters
the project is an emotional one, as it made her cry just reading the film
script. The Managing Director of culture centre Terra Kulture, Austin-Peters said
making films is not her outfit’s business but that she fell in love with the
project after reading the script and set out sourcing funds for its
realization.

As she put it, “It’s
important we tell our stories. There’s too much projection of negative stories
about Nigeria. Now Nigerians will shine internationally. We preempted others
like Americans from doing and then bringing it back to us to buy. It’s a great
production we have”.

The director Gukas
said 93 Days “celebrates and
underscores what we are in Nigeria” and called it a fantastic performance of
the heroics of the men and women that gave their lives so that Nigeria might
live.

He added, “The
content of the film doesn’t just entertain, but that it can provoke you. What
we did is to take charge about the telling of our stories ourselves. We have
made a very good film and an important project”.

Gukas described the
experience of shooting the film in real life spots that were the epicentres of
the Ebola saga as surreal, saying, “It was a surreal experience to shoot real
life story in real life locations; first at First Consultant Hospital and then
at the isolation spot in Yaba where those infected were kept. Entering the spot
in Yaba was surreal”.

Nollywood actress Akintola said no character she had acted before
ever had so much impact and emotional pull on her as Adadevoh. “Trying to be
Adadevoh was really hard. In less than three weeks, she changed lives; she
changed me. Adadevoh was really amazing. Hers is the most impactful role I have
ever played”.

It was the same for Okeke,
who played Dr. Morris of the hospital. He said, “Morris took me by hand and
walked me through it chronologically; he let me see through it all”.

Others who worked on
the project included Paul Rowlson from England, America’s Pemon Rami and Joseph
Omoibom.